Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is a psychological/neurological condition which inhibits the living of a normal, everyday life. The disorder takes on many forms, such as compulsive, repetitive hand washing, self injury, getting up many times during the night to make sure the door is locked, and so on. The psychological phenomenon occurring is a self-forced, mental reassurance that everything is under control. It is important to remember that it is not just a nervous or habitual “tic” but an actual effort being made to control one’s own life. When one feels out of control, the obsessive compulsive behavior comes out.
Even Number of Steps. One of the most interesting OCD behaviors is the necessity for some people to walk an even number of steps so that each foot has equal workout, distribution of weight, etc. Sometimes steps will be planned out ahead and the person will walk looking down on a regular basis in order to watch how many steps it will take to get to their destination. Oftentimes, they have a set “starting” foot with which they will lead all of their steps, so that they know to always end on the other foot.
Stepping In Line with Certain Objects. One little girl had large calcium deposits on her hips and, in an effort to control how she fell if she should actually trip or some such thing, she would always step so that her hips, at a right angle, were always lined up with flat or linear surfaces (such as magazines placed horizontally). She would avoid lining her hips up with any corners or broken lines, so that in case she should fall sideways, a corner would not be pushed into her sensitive calcium deposits on her hips.
Taking a Bath Every Single Time in Bathroom. One lady could not use her toilet, even doing Number 1, without taking a bath afterwards, every single time she used it. If she was in public or somewhere she needed to eliminate and could not take a bath afterwards, she would have to take one as soon as she got back home, and wash her underwear twice.
Checking to Make Sure No Murder. One woman was so upset with the possibility that she could murder someone that she checked every day to make sure that she had not murdered anyone. She watched the news very carefully every single day to see unsolved murder cases, the unsolved ones being something which particularly made her upset, and to make sure that she was not the perpetrator in any of them.
Perfect Sex. One man complains of having a highly debilitating disorder of needing to not lose any erection, in the smallest way, during sex. He obsesses over this in a post-performance inspection and could go many days until he has a “perfect” day again and feels better. To not have perfect sex is his worst nightmare, and he knows the debilitating depression of even having a slight erection loss during the course of sex, which elicits many days of sorrow.
Many people feel that they may have the “worst” or the “weirdest” case of OCD behavior and the truth is we all have OCD behavior in some form or another. We have our own coping mechanisms which allow us to feel more in control of our lives. Please, if you are reading this and have a condition you feel is abnormal, rest assured that millions of people have the “weirdest” case of OCD, unique and debilitating conditions which affect their everyday lives. Keep your chin up and know that you are not alone.
